1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to rear view mirror systems for vehicles. The present invention is particularly directed towards convex mirrors allowing a widened view of traffic approaching from the rear of a road driven vehicle. Although road driven vehicles are the principal users of this type of mirror system, the present invention is well suited for a variety of applications where wide-view rear surveillance is important.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Development of a system for full rear and side viewing of traffic approaching the rear of a road driven vehicle has been somewhat slow being consummated into a viable end product. A variety of convex mirror or mirrors with a convex center for both side and center vehicle attachment are offered in the market place now. These circular mirrors distort the images of the viewed object and can lead to judgement failures on the part of drivers depending upon them for reflected information. Several mirror devices have been offered in which a multiplicity of individually stepped mirrors are horizontally aligned with the device designed for attachment at the top of the windshield in front of the driver. These devices, the convex mirrors and the stepped aligned mirrors, require considerable driver concentration to ascertain accurately the position of a rear approaching vehicle. My mirror system uses a half-rounded convex upper mirror immediately above the original flat mirror inside and outside on both sides of a vehicle. This allows wide accurate reflected viewing of rear approaching traffic centrally and on both sides of the equipped vehicle far superior to those mirror systems now in use.